War of the Ring: The Chronicles of Dale
by dan-yoda
Summary: The Story of the Battle of Dale
1. The End on an Era

WAR OF THE RING  
  
THE CHRONICLES OF DALE  
  
By yodaman  
  
The skies of Middle-Earth are beginning to darken. Orcs have started to multiply faster than ever. The One Ring to rule them all has been discovered, and trouble is beginning to stir up in Middle-Earth once again. Once this chain of events began to unfold, trouble has spread throughout Middle-Earth- especially the south. Mordor has besieged Osgiliath numerous times. Gondor's greatest captain, Boromir Son of Denethor, has run on an errand to Rivendell. Due to these events, Minas Tirith has been getting ready for a great battle, and the case is no different for King Brand of Esgaroth. While Minas Tirith has been besieged by legions of Orcs, Esgaroth is having troubles of their own, for a force of Easterlings have crossed the River Carnen and have begun to attack Brand's kingdom. Now, in the third age of Middle-Earth, the fate of the South will not be decided by one great king, but by two...  
  
CHAPTER I  
  
THE END OF AN ERA  
  
A loud horn rang throughout all of Esgaroth, signaling an enemy attack. King Brand, who was enjoying a fine meal of roasted boar with some close friends, but once he heard the horn, he ran to the armory to get dressed into his battle armor. He didn't even wait for his dresser to put the heavy suit of armor on his body, for he knew most of his army was waiting for him.  
  
"My lord!" yelled Narodan, his chief lieutenant. "An army of Easterlings has crossed the Anduin. They carry flaming arrows and torches, ready to set our city in flames! You must hurry!"  
  
"What does it look like I'm doing?" complained Brand. He then quickly finished putting on the armor, grabbed a simple but deadly sword, and ran towards the battlefield. There he found 700 of his 1,000 soldiers standing in an orderly fashion, waiting for his orders to march into battle. The other three hundred were on the battlefield, trying to keep the Easterlings at bay.  
  
"We're awaiting your orders, my liege", said one of the soldiers.  
  
"You are to march out and do what you can to keep the Easterlings at bay", said Brand. Narodan, you lead an evacuation to Dale."  
  
"Dale, sir?" questioned Narodan.  
  
"Yes", said Brand. "While we aren't Dáin Ironfoot's best buddies, but he would help us in our time of need. Do whatever means necessary to evacuate them, even if it mean crossing the River Carnen."  
  
"Yes sir", said Narodan.  
  
"The rest of you", said Brand, "will follow me into the battle. We will meet head on with the Easterlings to buy time for the evacuation."  
  
"Then what?" asked a soldier.  
  
"If we are able to defeat them", said Brand, "We will remain here. But since that is unlikely, due to our few numbers, we will cross the river Carnen to get into Dale to meet up with Narodan and the civilians. Any questions?" There was silence for a few seconds. "Okay then". Brand then drew his sword. "Let's hunt some Easterling." His army then drew their swords and faced towards the battlefield. Brand then lifted up his sword and then straight forward, which signaled to march to the battlefield. Brand ran at his steady pace towards the battle, and his loyal army followed him.  
  
The Easterlings took notice and fired their arrows at the army, but the Easterlings were bad aims and hit the windows of the palace. Brand's archers, who were at work since the first seconds of the battle, fired their arrows at all the Easterlings near Brand, so that their king may not be slain. But the archers could not slay the entire Easterling force, and that's where Brand came in. He swung his sword about the battlefield, trying to stab the Easterlings in the neck area, which was the only part not protected by the armor. The Easterlings were very experienced fighters, which was one thing that Brand was not. The worst Brand had ever faced was a band of thieves, but after the Battle of Five Armies, the kings of Esgaroth made sure that their soldiers were prepared for anything.  
  
The Easterlings had the element of surprise on their side, which was devastating for Brand's soldiers. Brand cut through the lines, slashing with his sword and killing as many soldiers as he could. He ordered his army to try to push the Easterlings towards the water, so that they would be forced to go into their boats and go back home. That proved to be a challenge, though, as the Easterlings greatly outnumbered the Esgarothians. Brand decided that they would have to kill a lot more soldiers before his strategy could be devised, although they neither had the means nor the men to do so.  
  
"Baramath", exclaimed Brand to his commanders. "Is there any way we can shorten the number of Easterlings as quickly as possible?"  
  
"There's no other way besides fighting with our swords", said Baramath. "We don't have anything fancy like the Gondorians. I'm sorry".  
  
"You did what you could", said Brand while dodging a blow from an Easterling. After he killed it, he turned back to Baramath. "We must join the others. RETREAT! RETREAT TO DALE!" All of Brand's soldiers then turn around and ignored the battle at hand. Brand then pointed his sword towards the dock and began to run. Most of his soldiers followed him, but not all were able to. The Easterlings took advantage and fired several arrows and the running soldiers. Some of them even set their arrows on flame and launched them at the buildings, destroying the city their enemy originated. Brand was the first to load onto a ship, not because he was cowardly but that his city could not afford to loose him. As the boat he got on was filled with soldiers, he cut the rope and let the ship sail off into the Carnen. A few ships followed after him, but the soldiers behind weren't so lucky. The Easterlings had set torch to the dock, making it near impossible for any other ships to leave. After that the Easterlings set torch the entire city, turning the beautiful lake town into a pile of rubble.  
  
"I should've been there", thought Brand, "but my people need me here. Oh well. If Dáin won't aid us in our time of need, then it shall be the downfall for us all." 


	2. The Art of the Deal

CHAPTER II  
  
THE ART OF THE DEAL  
  
Brand and his army walked through the green country of Dale, land of the Dwarves. The mountains, green as a result of spring, stuck out like the jagged teeth of a Warg. The only way they could tell which mountain contained Dáin was by the door, which glowed in the moonlight.  
  
"What does it say?" asked a soldier.  
  
"It says 'The Halls of Dáin, Lord of Dale' in Elvish", said Brand. "It also says 'Speak, friend, and enter'. I wonder what that could mean", He then sat down, thinking what the line meant, not knowing that what its intent was. He then repeated the lines in Elvish, and the doors miraculously opened.  
  
"I must have said something", said Brand. He then walked in, but two Dwarvish soldiers, clad with thick armor and small axes, blocked Brand's way.  
  
"Are you kin of Esgaroth?" asked a Dwarvish soldier.  
  
"Yes", said Brand. "I am".  
  
"Good", said the other soldier. "King Dáin would like to see you". Brand and his soldiers followed into the halls Dale, which were big even for a full-sized man. The halls were made up of large, ornate pillars, which were cloaked in characters from the Dwarvish language. There was a large bridge, and down below were legions of Dwarves, all mining for the ores that were in the contents of the mountain. They walked closer to find two large doors that were more impressive than the moonlit one they encountered earlier. The soldiers then opened the door and lead them to the throne room of King Dáin Ironfoot. The throne room was huge, with golden walls lined up with the rarest jewels of Middle Earth. His throne was just as beautiful, which was made out of gold, jewels, and had a seat made from Warg fur. There were dozens and dozens of soldiers in the room, so that Dáin could never be hurt.  
  
"Well, well, well", said Dáin. "If it isn't King Brand of Esgaroth. I have been awaiting your arrival."  
  
"Likewise", said Brand. "If I may ask you one question, was there a force of women, children, and old men led by a young commander by the name of Narodan?"  
  
"Don't be hasty", exclaimed Dáin. "Yes, he came here about twelve hours ago. He was pretty worried about you, too. Wanted to make sure you guys arrived safely. Gráo, escort Brand and his soldiers to the hall with the other Esgarothians. Make sure they get a meal of red meat and our finest ale".  
  
"Yes, sir", said Gráo. He then escorted the other soldiers out of the hall, but Brand refused to go.  
  
"Why won't you go?" asked Dáin. "I'm insulted!"  
  
"I'm not trying to insult you", said Brand. "I just want to talk."  
  
"About what?" asked Dáin. "Don't worry- I've got all the time in Middle-Earth".  
  
"That's the one thing we don't have", said Brand. "The Easterlings know we retreated to Dale, and they followed us. Within a day's time, they will launch an assault upon your city to try to destroy us all. Sauron is committing genocide! The world of men, Elves, and Dwarves shall be destroyed!"  
  
"If you are saying I should go to war", yelled Dáin. "That is one thing we must not do."  
  
"Why?" asked Brand. "To protect your little jewels?"  
  
"NO!" yelled Dáin. "My miners are my soldiers, and they make up every single Dwarf in this rock. They have never fought any force other that a band of raiders. It would be a massacre!"  
  
"The case was the same with my army!" yelled Brand. "But we endured! They heavily outnumbered us five to one, but we endured! Even though we lost our city, our men, and were forced to retreat, we endured, and we continued to live. We will not continue to live if you do not combine forces with me and destroy the menace of the Easterlings once an for all!"  
  
"I CANNOT!" yelled Dáin. "I have miners, not soldiers. These are the matters for Men and Elves, not Dwarves!"  
  
"That is what I hate about the Dwarvish attitude towards war", said Brand. "You think it is a matter we can handle, such as we did during the War of the Last Alliance. Leave it to the Elves and Men. You never take responsibility! The thing is, it's all our responsibility! Do you have children? You must, since you're the king. Anyway, what you decide today will affect their future. If we do not act today, not only will your children die but also all the children in Dale will die! What say you?" Brand knew he got to Dáin, for he had children and knew what Brand was saying was true.  
  
"Please leave", said Dáin. "I will think about it in the evening."  
  
"Very well", said Brand. He left the building with a heavy felling in his heart. He knew that Dáin would make a decision, but whether it would be a good or not was all up to him. 


End file.
